SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

I find it hard to believe that I've been writing this blog for over six months and I still haven't shared my recipe for spaghetti bolognese (or "spag bol", as us Brits call it). This was my favourite meal as a child growing up in the 1980s, probably because it was one of the most exotic meals on the menu. Back in those days, spaghetti bolognese night was the only time we ever ate pasta (unless you count canned spaghetti in tomato sauce), which I find rather incredible considering how much of the stuff my own children consume!

This recipe is probably as far from a classic Italian spaghetti bolognese (or ragu) as you can get but it's the only version I can contemplate making because it's the dish of my childhood. It's not my mother's recipe, but it tastes similar (from what I can remember) even though I've made some tweaks to make it more acceptable to my own children. They are not keen on "bits" so I've learnt to grate the carrots rather than dice them, and to use passata in place of canned tomatoes for a smoother sauce - and cleaner plates!

The recipe I've given below serves four adults, but the sauce is ideal for batch cooking so the ingredients can easily be doubled, or even tripled if you have a large enough saucepan. I also use the sauce as a base for lasagne (recipe to follow another time), which is a fabulous dish to serve when you have a crowd to feed.

Spaghetti Bolognese

Serves 4

2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 small carrots, peeled and coarsely grated (100g prepared weight)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
500g lean steak mince (5% fat)
1 reduced-salt beef stock cube
2 tbsp tomato purée
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp dried mixed herbs (I like to use Italian seasoning)
400g passata
350g dried spaghetti
grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Heat the oil over a low-medium heat, then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the carrots and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for a further minute.

Increase the heat and add the mince and cook, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until browned all over. Crumble over the stock cube and stir until thoroughly combined.

Add the tomato purée, Worcestershire sauce, herbs and passata. Season to taste with pepper. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low-medium and simmer for at least 25 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and reduced.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil, then add the spaghetti and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until tender but firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to dishes along with the bolognese sauce. Serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Tips

• There's no reason why you couldn't add extra vegetables to the sauce - mushrooms work especially well, but finely diced red peppers or celery, or grated courgette would also make fantastic additions.
• The bolognese sauce freezes successfully and is very useful to have to hand when you need a quick dinner. Freeze in single portions in freezerproof containers or freezer bags. Remember to label and date them - unless you enjoy playing freezer roulette!
• When I'm cooking meals that the children will eat, I only season with pepper as I figure that some of the ingredients I use (for example, the stock cube, Worcestershire sauce and Parmesan) are salty already.

CLASSIC MACARONI CHEESE

Macaroni cheese is a staple meal in our household. My eldest daughter ranks it as her joint #1 meal (along with fish and chips) and my husband is a massive fan too since it was his favourite dinner as a child. Therefore, I thought it was about time that I shared my recipe for a classic macaroni cheese. I've called it 'classic' because it is a fairly basic version that could easily be adapted to include other ingredients. I like to mix in cauliflower and broccoli florets, and my family enjoys it with sweetcorn and ham. To be honest, I don't always add the crunchy topping because the kids are often screaming (literally!) for their dinner and don't want to wait the extra five minutes it'll take to sort this out. It is a nice addition on those occasions when mealtimes aren't quite so fraught though.

I feel I should apologize for posting yet another pasta recipe but the truth is that my family eats a LOT of pasta. I have to make a conscious effort to limit pasta to just three dinners a week, such is my small girls' appetite for the stuff! I am yet to meet a child that doesn't like pasta (although I'm certain they must exist) but when I was growing up in the 1980s we only ever had pasta as spaghetti Bolognese and canned spaghetti in tomato sauce. I often wonder how my mother coped without this fantastic fallback ingredient, which is so cheap, easy to store, quick to cook, and versatile.

For ages, I didn't think I could make cheese sauce – I remember using cheese sauce granules that you mixed with boiling water when I was a student. It was pretty artificial-tasting! I finally got the hang of making cheese sauce when I was cooking baby purées for my oldest child – she developed a taste for a particular purée that was made from cheese sauce mixed with mashed cod and vegetables, which I ended up making countless times. I discovered that warming up the milk before adding it to the butter and flour mixture made the process a lot easier, not to mention quicker, and I've never looked back!

Classic macaroni cheese

Serves 2 adults and 2 children (generously)
300g dried macaroni

Cheese sauce
30g butter
30g plain flour
300ml full-fat milk
good pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
90g vegetarian extra-mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Crunchy topping
20g natural dried breadcrumbs (I like to use panko)
30g vegetarian extra-mature Cheddar cheese, grated

Bring a medium-sized saucepan of water to the boil. Add the macaroni, bring back to the boil and simmer for 10–12 minutes (I find that macaroni takes longer to cook than other pasta shapes), until tender but firm to the bite.

Make the cheese sauce while the macaroni is cooking. Put the butter in a small saucepan and melt over a low–medium heat. Pour the milk into a jug and microwave for 2 minutes to warm through. Once the butter is bubbling, add the flour, stir to make a paste and allow to bubble for 1 minute. Start adding the warmed milk to the butter and flour mixture, a little at a time, stirring vigorously until each addition has been incorporated. To start with, the mixture will form into a lump but just keep stirring frequently and once you've added enough milk it will transform into a smooth sauce. When you have added all the milk, increase the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring frequently, for a further 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the nutmeg and cheese, then stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth.

Meanwhile, preheat the grill to medium.

Drain the macaroni and tip it into the saucepan containing the cheese sauce. Stir until the pasta is thoroughly coated in the sauce. Transfer to a 1.5-litre baking dish.

Mix together the breadcrumbs and the remaining cheese, then scatter over the macaroni and cheese sauce. Place under the preheated grill and cook for 5 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. Serve with freshly cooked vegetables (frozen sweetcorn and peas are our favourites) on the side.
    

SPICY SAUSAGE PASTA

When I started this blog, I posted a recipe for tomato sauce and promised to share some of the recipes I make using it. I haven't done so up to now (but, come on, it's only been a month!) so I thought it was time to rectify that situation. Today I'm going to share a recipe that is one of our family favourites and – surprise surprise – it's another pasta recipe! If you use previously made tomato sauce from the freezer (or a jar of ready-made tomato pasta sauce) to make this recipe, it can be on the table in around 20 minutes, which I think is pretty good going.

This is one of those recipes that can be spiced to suit everyone's tastes. The fennel seeds add an aromatic aniseed flavour that is not so pungent that my kids object to it and the chilli flakes are only added right at the end, making them completely optional – I just sprinkle them over the adults' portions. (Do be careful – last time I made this, I forgot to check whether the jar had shaker holes before I tipped it over my pasta. It didn't. Cue half a pot of chilli flakes over my pasta, half of which then had to be chucked in the bin. I like spicy food but even I could not handle that much heat!)

A word on ingredients - you MUST use good-quality sausages with a high meat content (80% or higher) for this recipe. I've tried it with cheaper sausages and, frankly, it's a waste of sausages – they don't brown in the same way as the premium ones and the result is seriously unappetizing. You have been warned!

The quantity given below would easily feed four adults, although in our house it feeds two adults and two kids for dinner with enough leftover for my husband's lunch the next day.

Spicy sausage pasta

Serves 4
400g good-quality pork sausages (80% or higher meat content)
½ tbsp fennel seeds
400g tomato sauce, defrosted if frozen
320g dried pasta shapes (I like to use penne or fusilli)
pinch of crushed chilli flakes (optional)

Separate the sausages and squeeze the meat from the casings. Set aside.

Put the fennel seeds in a mortar and grind with a pestle. They don't need to be ground too finely – just enough to break them down slightly and release their aroma. Set aside.

Heat a large frying pan over a high heat, then add the sausage meat and cook, breaking down with a wooden spoon as you would with mince, until the sausage is cooked through and browned slightly. Add the ground fennel seeds and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato sauce and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pasta and back bring to the boil, then reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 8–10 minutes, or until tender but firm to the bite.

Drain the pasta well, then add to the contents of the frying pan and stir gently to combine with the sauce. Transfer to serving plates and sprinkle over crushed chilli flakes to taste (if using).

LAYERED PRAWN PASTA SALAD JARS

For my lunch today I celebrated the unseasonably warm weather we've been enjoying here in south-west England with a salad. And not just any old salad –  a salad in a jar!

I fear I'm a bit late to the party when it comes to food in a jar. No longer the preserve (see what I did there?) of jams and chutneys, it seems that jars are being used to package and present all kinds of foods – from breakfast oats (see my overnight oats recipe) to salads like this one, even cakes and desserts. And, whilst I don't go out on the town much these days, I wouldn't be in the slightest bit surprised if the next time I order a cocktail in a trendy bar it was served up in a jam jar!

I think a lot of the appeal of jar food is its convenience. Many foods will keep for several days in a sturdy, well-sealed jar so, with just a little forward planning, you can prepare tasty meals ready to enjoy when you're pushed for time. The jar also offers a perfect way to transport food and negates the need for any crockery – just eat straight from the jar! Sure, it'll probably turn out to be a passing fad, but you can't deny that jar food is aesthetically pleasing, especially when it includes colourful fresh fruits and/or veggies arranged in pretty layers.

I think salads work particularly well as jar food because the jars can be packed in such a way as to keep delicate salad items separate from any heavier ingredients (that may crush them) and sauces or dressings (that could make them soggy). So whatever ingredients you're using, I'd highly recommend putting any sauces or dressings in the base of the jar along with any heavy ingredients (such as pasta or beans) and popping the salad leaves right at the top.

I freely admit that this salad isn't entirely my own invention – it is my version of a pre-packaged salad I used to buy from a high-street supermarket when I worked in town. I added the red pepper, mainly because I thought it'd look pretty, and swapped the shop-bought version's iceberg lettuce with spinach because I've read darker leaves offer more health benefits (plus spinach is the only salad leaf that has my eldest daughter's seal of approval!). I also lightened up the Marie Rose sauce by replacing some of the mayo with fat-free yogurt. This makes two rather generous portions.

Layered prawn pasta salad jars

Serves 2
80g small pasta shapes (I used conchigliette)
200g cooked peeled prawns, defrosted if frozen
½ red pepper, deseeded and diced
1 carrot, grated
100g sweetcorn, defrosted if frozen
¼ cucumber, diced
2 large handfuls of baby spinach leaves

Marie Rose sauce
2 tbsp light mayonnaise
2 tbsp fat-free Greek yogurt
2 tsp ketchup
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
squeeze of lemon juice, to taste

Bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Add the pasta, bring back to the boil and cook for 6 minutes, or according to the packet instructions, until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain, rinse under cold running water and drain well.

While the pasta is cooking, make the sauce. Put all the sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Add the prawns and stir to coat thoroughly in the sauce.

Divide the ingredients between two 950-ml jars, starting with the prawn mixture, then adding the pasta, red pepper, carrot, sweetcorn, cucumber and spinach (in that order) to create colourful layers in the jars.

Eat immediately or chill and eat within 48 hours. You can eat straight from the jar or tip the contents onto a plate before tucking in (the latter method is easier, unless you have a really long-handled fork!).

PASTA WITH PESTO, HAM & PEAS

Following hot on the heels of my basil pesto recipe is this recipe for my family's favourite way to eat it. It's so simple - literally a four-ingredient, 15-minute meal. What's more, I'm guaranteed clean plates all round when I serve this up (which, frankly, makes a nice change).

Meals containing peas go down well in my house. Along with sweetcorn, peas are a vegetable that everyone will happily eat – my husband even goes as far as to call the humble pea 'the king of vegetables'. It's a shame that kale and broccoli don't receive similar praise, but I'm just happy that everyone's in agreement about something.   

I tend to leave the ham out of my toddler's portion because I try to limit her salt intake, but that's easy enough – I just serve hers up before I add the ham to the rest of the pasta. Occasionally, I'll make a vegetarian(ish – the Parmesan in the pesto obviously isn't vegetarian) version of this dish for myself with added halved cherry tomatoes and fresh rocket leaves instead of the ham and peas. You can also use bacon, or even chicken, instead of the ham. In fact, the possibilities are endless. I'd love to hear your ideas for jazzing up pesto pasta – what are your family's favourite ingredients?

Pasta with pesto, peas & ham

Serves 2 adults and 2 small children

300g (dry weight) pasta shapes
200g frozen peas
100g basil pesto

100g ham (slices are fine), chopped

Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil and add the pasta. Bring back to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes. Add the peas, bring back to the boil and simmer for a further 2 minutes, or until the pasta is tender but firm to the bite.

Drain the pasta well, then return to the saucepan and stir in the pesto and ham. Dig in!

BASIC TOMATO SAUCE

For my first ever post (drum roll please!) I'd like to share my all-time most useful recipe - tomato pasta sauce. I just HATE to be without a batch of this in my freezer. I use it as a base to make all kinds of pasta dishes with just the addition of a few extra ingredients.

The sauce itself is pretty versatile too – you can omit the carrot and celery for a richer, more tomatoey (is that even a word?) sauce or add extra veg (such as fennel, courgettes and peppers) to make it taste even more virtuous. It also helps me sneak in vegetables that my kids wouldn’t even look at in their fresh state.

My kids (and husband) prefer a smooth sauce so I’ll whizz it up in the pan using a stick blender just before serving, but you can leave yours chunky if you prefer.

Today I’m just sharing the basic recipe, but I will definitely return to this to fill you in on other ways to use and adapt this true mother of a sauce.

I’ve given quantities below for a single batch but I ALWAYS make three or four times this amount in one go – after all, the beauty of this sauce is that it can be frozen. I tend to freeze the finished sauce in portions of 375g, which I find is plenty to add to 300g (dry weight) pasta to feed a family of four. If there are any smaller amounts of (not previously frozen) sauce leftover, I put them in small pots and freeze for the odd day when the kids are eating dinner on their own.

I use a supermarket basics range for the tomatoes; there’s probably a bit more juice in the can than you get with premium brands but, other than that, I honestly can’t tell the difference.

Basic tomato sauce

Makes approximately 425g

1 small onion

1 carrot

1 celery stick
1 garlic clove
1 tsp olive oil
400g canned chopped tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
½ tsp sugar

First, prepare the vegetables. Peel the onion and carrot and chop into fairly small dice. Trim the celery and run a vegetable peeler along its length to remove the strings, then chop into the same size dice as the onion and carrot. Peel and chop the garlic.

Heat the oil in a saucepan, then add the onion and cook for about 10 minutes, until softened. Add the carrot, celery and garlic and continue to cook for a further 10-15 minutes, until really soft. It’s important not to rush this stage; if the vegetables start sticking to the bottom of the pan, reduce the heat and partially cover with a lid so that the vegetables begin to sweat.

Add the tomatoes, oregano, bay leaf and sugar, increase the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes (or longer if you have time), until the sauce is thick and reduced. Remove and discard the bay leaf. If desired, blend in the pan using a stick blender until smooth.

* Freeze any leftover sauce in freezerproof containers. To defrost, either remove from the freezer and leave out on the side until fully defrosted or, if you forget to do this, pop the container minus lid into the microwave and heat on LOW for short bursts, stirring in between, until defrosted.